Sermons

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! It is the proclamation of Easter. It is a central proclamation of the Church. For literally millions of people it is an important expression of what they believe. It has the potential to capture our imagination and shine a light of hope into the dark and gloom of a frightening world. It can serve us well.

It can serve us well - if we will remember that such proclamations seek to describe an experience. They are not the experience itself. In many ways our culture has left us rather poorly equipped to really experience faith and give expression to it, because we have lost an appreciation of poetry and metaphor. In this scientific age in which we live, something is perceived to be true if it can be proven by verifiable means. And if not, then it isn't true, and thus isn't worthy of our attention. I know that is a overly simplistic picture. And at some level it is how we operate. There are so many debates which seem to be couched in black and white, either/or terms. Evolution versus creation. Faith versus reason. Science versus religion. We lose so much of the subtle, nuanced flavor of life and faith when we seek to approach things in such a manner. Even those of us who spend our time at the more progressive end of the theological spectrum can easily fall victim to such thinking. We just tend to do it in less obvious ways. We get stuck in unhelpful arguments that lead us away from life instead of towards it.
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What does it mean to follow Christ? In his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul urges that group of Christians to "let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5) Paul then goes on to quote an early Christian hymn in which "the mind of Christ" is understood in terms of humility, trust in God's guidance, and an attitude of service. On the night when he was arrested, Jesus prays, "Not my will, but thine be done." This represents not a denial of self, but rather an orientation of self towards God. Indeed, when we look at the whole of Jesus' life, what we find is a sense that we are most fully alive, most fully ourselves, when we seek to align our lives with the presence of God. To follow Christ's way is to let go of the illusion that we are, or can be, self-sufficient. Jesus' life illustrates the paradox that we experience the most fullness when we empty ourselves into God.
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Here we are again - right in the middle of the wilderness, which has been a recurring theme in this season of Lent. This time it takes the form of a vision. Ezekiel finds himself in a desolate valley filled with bones. And not just any bones - these are dried up and scattered. In describing his vision, Ezekiel uses dramatic language to make sure we get the point that these are really dead. Not "just stopped breathing 30 seconds ago but a little CPR will take care of things" dead, but dead "beyond any hope of recovery" dead. God asks Ezekiel if the bones can live again, to which Ezekiel replies, "Oh Lord, you know." In other words, "it sure doesn't look like it to me." The story of the raising of Lazarus in John's Gospel is really a variation on this same theme. The story-teller makes sure we know that Lazarus is beyond hope of reviving. "There is a stench," is how Martha described the situation. "He's been dead four days. You might have been able to do something then, but now it is too late." There is a hopelessness being addressed in both of these stories - death not just of the body but of the spirit as well. And that, finally, is what these stories are all about - the debilitating paralysis which comes when we lose hope, when we forget to remember God's presence. And so we come at last to this final wilderness - the wilderness of death.
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We are gathered here today to affirm a call from God and bear witness to the YES of an individual and the YES of the Church. In one sense it is the same call which comes to each of us - the call to be ministers in the name of Jesus Christ. On the back of our bulletins in this congregation every Sunday there is a line which reads, "Ministers: Every Member." But in another sense it is a very particular call to a particular individual to serve the Church in a particular way. The Church is saying in this service today that we also recognize and acknowledge this call in Greg's life. By our presence in this service of worship and by the actions we take here today we are ordaining Greg to a special kind of ministry in our midst.
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It's really quite amazing how much in our lives we can begin to take for granted. Even miracles can fade into the background of our memory if we're not careful to remember. It is rather embarrassing to admit, but I hadn't really thought much about my "miracle" for a long time. It had, after all, been 25 years since my life had forever been changed. My life had moved on and my thoughts became occupied with other things. But it all came flooding back the day I heard the words in the letter from the Apostle Paul.
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